January 30, 2017

Meet Chef Joey Giorgianni

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Giorgianni.

Joey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always been fond of cooking. In fact, I wanted to go to culinary school since I was a teen, but my parents didn’t want me “cutting vegetables for someone for minimum wage”. I graduated high school early, began college, & eventually blew through my entire college fund trying to find something I wanted. I ended up working at Nordstrom in designer & couture for awhile, I liked my job, but it was far from a passion. During this time, however, I did some freelance amateur “catering” by word of mouth. After The Great Recession hit, I ended up losing my job. I couldn’t find work, was next to homeless if it hadn’t been for amazing friends & my partner. With plans on moving back to my childhood home in San Jose to complete my college education, my partner offered that we get a place together in West Hollywood so I could attend Le Cordon Bleu instead. I began a meal planning business while in school, which paid my bills. At this point, my parents saw the potential to make more “than minimum wage cutting vegetables for someone else” & offered to help with the tuition of culinary school. After graduating with honors, I continued on with the meal planning. I knew most of my clients were going to be gone during the holidays, so I found contracted work with a catering company. I looked at this as an opportunity to learn how to do more complex & larger events. After a short time of being “mercenary chef, tocheckbookagaincheck book” I was offered the sous chef position, which I accepted with trepidation; I was her 6th sous chef in 5 years. I knew I was going to learn a lot, but I also knew I was going to be blamed for all of her mistakes…someone has to take the hit when to checkbook again. I ended up lasting there exactly to the day I predicted….which was right after the holiday season. So, with no job, in January, I decided to go out on my own instead of working for someone else. At the time, a tech company by the name of Kitchit, based in San Francisco launched it’s Chef Market Place; an online marketplace connecting customers with private chefs in local markets (Los Angeles, San Francisco, then expanded out). Kitchit gave me a huge presence online. I was getting referrals left & right from clients and guest at parties. I had hit a niche market. These parties were often times too small for catering companies to be bothered with, but perfect for a private chef with a catering background. This created the private chef-caterer hybrid. Whereas catering companies cook the food to standard temperatures in a commercial kitchen then either transport hot or reheat at the location, a private chef does all the preparations & cooking fresh on site. I did all my preparations from my place but cooked everything fresh at the clients giving them the best product possible.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For the most part, it has been smooth. I learned so much in how NOT to do things working for that catering company, that when I went out on my own, I was able to do things my way which leads to executing relatively stress-free events. Some of the catering staff that worked at the catering company also work for me when my clients need waiters or bartenders. The best compliment I received was from one of them who said, “Joey, this is so much different, it feels almost too easy, there’s no stress”. With that said, I’ve had my fair share of struggles. Working from home, became hard. As my business grew, my apartment did not. My parents helped by purchasing 2 refrigerators (one standard, one commercial) to help with that problem, but they both ended up in my dining room & dining room ended up in my living room. The more equipment I bought, like food processors, mixers, platters, ice cream makers, pots, pans, began overtaking our living space. My work eventually began putting a strain on my relationship. It was finally time to move. Ev

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Chef Joey Giorgianni story. Tell us more about the business.
As a private chef, I’m not constrained by the need to have cost-effective menu. I’m allowed to and thrive by creating bespoke, ingredient-driven menus with my culinary point of view. I really stick to cooking traditional Italian cuisine, being raised in California has put fresh influence on my work. I’m known for making dinner an event. My clients love the Italian format I use. I always start with an antipasti course that is served while everyone is arriving, mingling, & enjoying their first cocktail or a glass of prosecco. Antipasti is such a vast world of food, it ranges from Tagliere (cuts of cheese & meats…charcuterie) to bocconcini (little mouthfuls), torte (savory tarts like fig & goat cheese) to Ripieni (stuffed morsels like grilled eggplant stuffed with asparagus and wrapped in pancetta). The art of antipasti isn’t really well known here in the states. My clients think I’m an expert, but the truth is I’ve been studying antipasti for 5 years & I’m still learning something new every week.

After everyone has had about an hour with the antipasti to stir their appetites, I invite everyone to the table to begin their first course which is either handmade gnocchi, fresh pasta, or a seasonal risotto. Going back to not being constrained by having a rigid menu, I get to have fun with creating seasonal dishes that change every week. I’ve had clients describe a favorite pasta they’ve had in Italy which they’ll want me to recreate for their special occasion. I’ve done this with pasta, gnocchi, scaloppine, & even some cakes.

I’m most proud of my ability to deliver custom menus, service, & quality food. This separates me from catering companies as they set in their rigid ways. They operate on a scale of mass producing foods, freezing them, then pulling them out, heating them up, & serving them at your party. This was one of the things I hated the most about working for a catering company. If the clients knew how the food was made, they would just go to Trader Joe’s buy a bunch of frozen appetizers, hire a waiter from a staffing company & be done with it. I’m proud that I hand make all my dishes in an artisanal fashion that delivers a fresh, quality product.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck. Yes, I believe in being at the right time at the right place, but that not luck, that’s just coincidence. I believe that a strong work ethic, a desire to do well, a fiery passion in what you do is what brings you success.

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